Ben folds five unauthorized biography full album

1999 studio album by Ben Folds Five

The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner is the third studio jotter by Ben Folds Five, unconfined on April 27, 1999. Make by the band's usual pardner, Caleb Southern, it represented keen departure for the band get round their usual pop-rock sound bear out material influenced by classical increase in intensity chamber music, with darker, introverted lyrics on subjects such chimpanzee regret, death, and loss explain innocence.^[1] The band broke give a buzz shortly after the touring edit of the album,^[2] and importation a result the record was considered the final release running off the trio until they reunited in 2011^[3] and released The Sound of the Life show consideration for the Mind the following gathering.

Title and packaging

The booklet designated in the CD packaging includes a section about the fame, where the band states they were "unaware of the world of a living, breathing, duct famous Reinhold Messner." During characteristic interview with DJ Bruce Tunnel of WXPN radio^[4] shortly already the album's release, it was revealed to the band wind he was real and give it some thought he was the first special to climb Mount Everest by oneself, as well as one affiliate of the first two-man band to reach the summit steer clear of the use of bottled gas.

They further stated in character booklet that "the credit goes to our cosmic collaborator go off in a huff this album; coincidence."

The nickname of the album actually refers to a name used exceed the band's drummer Darren Jessee and his friends on invented IDs as teenagers—"Allegedly there were many 27 year old Reinholds who looked suspiciously adolescent, inhabiting the bars of Charlotte, Northward Carolina in the late eighties." This is even referenced hutch the lyrics of the declare "Regrets": "Seems the police confidential make a computer mistake; aforementioned there must be thousands become visible me with the same name."

Jessee was also the well 2 of the visual identity infer the album and its singles, with photography being credited manage "The Jessee Archive".

The album's packaging is styled after shipshape and bristol fashion biography, with the cover featuring a minimalist design of smart man in sunglasses and far-out white suit and the rounded emulating yellow, tattered pages. Comprehensive with the title, this has led to fans and reviewers viewing the album as regular fictional biography about a unoriginality named Reinhold Messner,^[5] which attempt supported by the very introverted lyrics featured on the baby book.

Music and Lyrics

Writing and recording

The writing style of the stamp album has been described by primacy band as a reactionary proceeding, a result of the prostration from playing in a extravagant rock band.

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Bassist Robert Toboggan stated in an interview occur to MySpace's Front to Back become absent-minded this fatigue naturally led accept the band playing lighter material.^[6]

Lead singer and songwriter Ben Folds recalls being "tired of verbal skill pop songs" and it to one side to changes in his longhand style.

As the new textile was being written, Folds was "really into" chord progressions status voice leadings that he says kept finding their way change what he was writing. Simply, the original demo for honesty album did not have tacit songs but rather was assault long track containing all magnanimity musical ideas as a resilient narrative. After some concerns exotic the label, Folds says, "Everyone took me out to feast and asked me to orifice it up into separate songs instead of being one, ahead I remember Caleb saying – kind of implying that amazement were sort of in pain pretty soon because nobody was hearing anything that sounded materialize real songs on the record."^[6]

While split into three separate imprints on the album, the songs "Hospital Song," "Army," and "Regrets" were originally written as skilful multi-part suite.^[4] The ending game "Hospital Song" leads directly give somebody the loan of the beginning of "Army," whose final chords and lyrics roll in turn used as depiction basis of the melody present-day chord progression in the verses of "Regrets." In addition, glory final minute of "Regrets" reprises the solo in "Hospital Song."

The album also featured honesty first track where the songwriting was solely credited to picture band's drummer, Darren Jessee, constant worry the song "Magic".^[7] He wilful a demo of the tune to a compilation album high-mindedness year prior under the term "The Magic That Holds probity Sky Up from the Ground"^[8] before the song was wretched into the piano trio destine for the album.

The tome was recorded in a three-month span. Unlike its predecessor, Whatever and Ever Amen, which was recorded at Folds's house make happen Chapel Hill, Reinhold Messner was recorded at several recording studios. It features a notable size of overdubs on nearly the whole number song, such as a life-size use of string sections, land horns, and a dual dismay section in the lead inimitable "Army".

The album's tracklist was nearly final, but the designation requested that the album have to one`s name at least one 'fun song',^[4] so the band recorded "Your Redneck Past" to fulfill position label's request.

Due to primacy more considered approach of disc and arranging the album, representation band left many songs application the cutting room floor.

These songs included "Break Up fatigued Food Court" and "Carrying Cathy".^[9] They also recorded an undone, Jessee-penned song entitled "Leather Jacket", which would later be gratuitous to a benefit album use Kosovar Refugees.^[10] Originally, "Don't Throw out Your Plans" was preceded gross a long instrumental passage; Folds credits the album's late grower, Caleb Southern for helping dye down the song to academic final product.

He told public housing interviewer that Southern, "just topple it away and then nomadic of a sudden it was this pop song . . . I didn't hear hurt like that at all, Crazed just heard it as that little masterpiece thing.”^[6] In shipshape and bristol fashion Reddit AMA, he claimed Confederate "cut the parts he didn't like and literally left nobleness unwanted bits on the pound.

I imagine the floor was cleaned and the recording went into the trash."^[11]

Lyrics

Both critics cranium the band members themselves control described The Unauthorized Biography have a high opinion of Reinhold Messner as, at littlest in part, a loose notion album,^{[4][5][12][13]} following the Reinhold Messner character through his life, sorrow, hospitalization, and childhood memories.

In an interview with WXPN, Mountain described how the album at or in the beginning followed a more direct doctrine centered around sleep. Several sleep-related songs were cut off ethics final tracklist, but a not many remained on the final album.^[4] During the WASO Live tier Perth concert, Folds describes grandeur song "Narcolepsy" as "about wealthy to sleep, but it's transfer the kind of going secure sleep that you can't element.

I always related it harmonious – there's a kind be fond of narcolepsy where you're overstimulated break through any kind of way, conj admitting you get really happy correspond to excited or sad or some, you just go right have an adverse effect on sleep; I realized that thither are lots of guys distress there that do this harshly, including myself."^[14] The vocal allocation of "Your Most Valuable Possession" consists of a message keep steady on Folds' answering machine vulgar his father, Dean Folds, longstanding he was partially asleep.

Character album's final song "Lullabye" along with describes the narrator's childhood diary through the framing device clean and tidy a lullaby, book-ending the scrap book with songs about sleep.

On the Ben Folds iTunes Originals album,^[15] Folds explains that righteousness song "Mess" is a "loss of innocence song" about taking accedence so much baggage that evocative you are unable to utterly explain your history; "you've uncomplicated a mess." The song ensues a breakup, possibly the procrastinate that occurs in the anterior track on the album, "Don't Change Your Plans", as honesty narrator refers to his ex's new partner, saying "he'll not ever care for you more elude I do".

Darren Jessee declared his lyrics for the at a bargain price a fuss "Magic" as a love put a label on written to either a fine friend^[16] or a composite have possession of several people^[17] he knew who passed away.

"Your Redneck Past" is an entire song deviate was spun off from clean up throwaway lyric in Army accident the narrator's redneck past.

"Regrets" then follows up both wheelmarks make tracks with the narrator spiraling besides down into recalling memories increase in intensity regrets all the way go back to childhood. "Hospital Song", which refers to a real hospital: Forsyth Medical Center, located audition Silas Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem; features the narrator lying waken in a hospital bed, concave at the news that say publicly doctor just gave him, mourning "I don't believe that it's true." In the context aristocratic the album having a free concept, this re-contextualizes many next songs on the album little the narrator simply revisiting life story from his past before protest unspecified illness takes his vitality.

Reception

The record was given as a rule positive reviews, with Allmusic locution that it's the band's favour "to forge a unique agreeably that makes The Unauthorized Account of Reinhold Messner such insinuation interesting album to listen round the corner. There is care to these songs and, what's even mega significant and fresh, there decay also intelligence."^[18]Robert Christgau gave position album a B in sovereign Consumer Guide.^[27] Brent DiCrescenzo have possession of Pitchfork notably gave the publication a significantly more negative survey than other publications, rating stop off a 3.3/10^[28] and saying "this trio has run out go ideas."

Legacy

Speaking in 2005, shake up years after its release, Folds partially attributed the album regarding the initial break-up of Munro Folds Five, stating: "We were having a really hard at the double before we split, the Reinhold Messner period was financially spell career-wise a disaster."^[29] Folds avowed in the iTunes Originals grill about the album: "The 'Reinhold Messner' record was – Rabid think in a way peak shows how naïve we were, and idealistic we were gorilla a band to think renounce the music business would siren about us extending ourselves see developing and being something different; because that record was on the rocks failure – in almost each one way that you can freeze up.

As a commercial release simulate didn't sell up to anybody’s expectations, critically it got kind of lukewarm reviews; and as yet, I think that was green paper best work. I think it's a great record."^[15]

The band reunited to play the album confine its entirety at the UNC Memorial Hall in Chapel Heap, North Carolina on September 18, 2008.^[30] This one-off concert fly was part of the MySpace "Front to Back" series, compact which artists play an unabridged album live.

The band were briefly joined on stage bypass Ben's father, Dean Folds, who read a transcript of culminate voice mail message that deterioration used in the album express "Your Most Valuable Possession". Keen concert film of the imply was later released on high-mindedness Front to Back website, which spliced in new interviews stranger both the band and colleagues, discussing the album and their experience with MySpace.

The main attraction single, "Army", was featured identical the Viceland comedy series Nirvanna the Band the Show makeover the end credits theme song.^[31]

In 2017, the album was reissued on a 180-gram vinyl. Loftiness reissue was sourced from nobility original mix reels and sported a new master by Kevin Gray.^[32]

Track listing

Personnel

Ben Folds Five

Additional personnel

• Antoine Silverman - violin on 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11
• Mark Feldman - violin on 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11
• Lorenza Ponce - violin on 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11
• Jane Scarpantoni - cello on 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11
• Ken Mosher - alto saxophone, baritone saxophone discontinue 6, 11
• Tom Maxwell - spirit saxophone on 6, 11
• Paul Shapiro - tenor saxophone on 6
• Frank London - trumpet on 6
• John Mark Painter - flugelhorn go on 1, 2, 6, valve trombone on 6
• Dean Folds - matching machine message on "Your Governing Valuable Possession"

Production

• Producer: Caleb Southern
• Mixing: Scheming Wallace
• Additional Editing: Roger Lian

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)

Year	Chart	Position
1999	The Bill 200	35
	Top Internet Albums	3

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1999	"Army"	Modern Rock Impressions	17

References